Sigrid the Honorary Tugboat
by Goldsaddletank
Summary: Sigrid wants to be a tugboat, but when Jacob deters her from her dreams, can Emily give her confidence to speak to the Dispatcher? (A request for tate310)


Sigrid the supply ship had always wanted to be a tugboat. It had been her dream, and carrying her bumper around made her feel like a tugboat.

One day, she was talking to her best friend, Owan the Oil Rig, when she saw Jacob the river boat coming their way.

"Hello, Jacob!" She greeted cheerfully. "Isn't today a nice day?"

"It's alright." Jacob said.

"What's the matter with you, Jacob?" Owan boomed loudly. "It's a beautiful day!"

"Nothing of concern," Jacob replied casually.

"Jacob, have you ever wondered what it's like to be a tugboat?" Sigrid asked excitedly.

"Yes, as a matter of fact I have," the river boat answered. "I felt that being a tugboat would be more fun than carrying tourists about the Big Harbour, but it's actually a lot harder to be a tugboat than you think- if you're used to doing the same thing all the time it gets unpredictable very quickly, and it's hard work."

This made Sigrid feel very worried, but she tried not to show it.

"How do you know?" She asked bravely. "You're not a tugboat."

"I know, but I've carried bumpers before." Jacob told her. "It wasn't as easy as I thought."

With that he bobbed away.

Sigrid was upset, as she had wanted to be tugboat for a long time, and she was now scared that might not happen.

"Owan, do you think I'll ever be a tugboat?" She asked him, doubtfully.

"Of course you will, Sigrid! It wouldn't be fair if you couldn't!" Owan bellowed, making Sigrid smile. Her friend was very loud, but she knew that he was really good at making others feel better when they were having a bad day.

"Thanks Owan." She smiled. "You're a great friend."

"You're welcome Sigrid!" Owan rumbled back. "I'm always happy to help!"

….

But despite what Owan had told her, Sigrid couldn't stop thinking about what Jacob had said, and it upset her deeply. She wanted to be a tugboat so much, and yet, she felt that it just wouldn't happen.

When she finished her job, she was very sad, and wanted to be alone, so she sailed for the coves to be alone for a little while.

Once she was at the coves, she looked at the green bumper her friends had given her. She still remembered the day she got that bumper; she helped her tugboat friends dock a ship during a bad storm. It made her feel proud, but today, it only made her feel sadder. Why couldn't she be a tugboat like Theodore or Foduck?

Soon, she heard a horn, and recognised it as Emily's.

"Hello Emily." She said sadly.

"Hello Sigrid!" Emily replied cheerfully, but she frowned when she saw how sad her friend looked.

"What's wrong, Sigrid? You look really sad." She observed.

"Nothing, Emily." The supply ship responded, but she knew Emily wouldn't fall for that nonsense - she was far too smart for that.

"Are you sure?" She asked gently.

Sigrid knew that Emily could really tell that something was wrong, so she decided to just tell her friend about it.

"Well, it's just... I feel that I'll never be a tugboat." She said at last, but Emily was confused. She reminded her friend that she was a supply ship, not a tugboat, but Sigrid knew that that wasn't it.

"It's just that I really want to be one, but it will be unpredictable and different all the time - nothing like doing the same job all the time."

"Who told you that?" Emily asked in surprise.

"Jacob did. He told me about how his time being a tugboat wasn't easy for him."

"Well, Theodore told me he had an accident with some bumpers he had to help deliver." Emily answered. "Besides, Jacob does have a point about us doing lots of different jobs, but not all of us have different jobs. Foduck, for one, has to go around the harbour and ensure that everything is safe. He does do other jobs, yes, but his main one is to do safety checks and report dangers to the Dispatcher."

Hearing this made Sigrid feel much better.

"So, tugs can do the same job every day?"

"Yes they can." Emily smiled, and Sigrid was thrilled.

"Thank you so much Emily! You made me feel much better!"

"You're welcome Sigrid! Though I think you should see the Dispatcher and talk to him. He'll be able help you."

"Alright, thanks Emily!"

And with a friendly toot, the two friends separated – Emily to find Theodore for a new practice, and Sigrid to see the Dispatcher.

...

Soon, Sigrid made her way to the Great Ocean Dock, but the Dispatcher was talking to George, so Sigrid looked around for a little while. Presently she saw Hank pulling Bonavista Barge, and they both said hello to her.

"Hello Hank! Hello Bonavista!" Sigrid called.

"What are you doing Sigrid?" Hank asked curiously.

"Well, I'm here to see the Dispatcher about being a tugboat."

This confused Hank, but before he could ask about it, the Dispatcher dismissed George and then he saw Sigrid.

"Can I help you, Sigrid?" He asked.

"Never mind," Hank told her. "I better go. See you later!"

"Goodbye Hank!"

Soon, she and the Dispatcher were left on their own.

...

"I...I needed to speak to you, sir." Sigrid informed him.

"What's wrong, Sigrid?" The Dispatcher asked his supply ship, who gulped nervously.

"Well, sir, I've always wanted to be a tugboat, rather than a supply ship. I just think that it would be a lot better."

"But Sigrid, you do a wonderful job as a supply ship, and you work well with Owan." The Dispatcher told her.

"I know, and I love working with Owan, but I really want to be a tugboat. But Jacob said that being a tugboat would be too difficult."

"And why did he?" The Dispatcher asked.

So Sigrid told the Dispatcher the tale of the bumpers she heard from Emily.

"Well, it is true that Jacob had not been perfect on his day as a tugboat, but all my tugboats had to learn their jobs and safety procedures. Tugs do have challenging jobs, but so does everyone else.

"So does that mean I can't be a tug, sir?"

The Dispatcher smiled kindly.

"Well, I see no reason why you can't be." He told her. "I'll tell you what – you keep to being a supply ship, but you will be known as an honorary tugboat."

"What does that mean?"

"It means that you can be a tugboat without having to actually rebuild yourself into one." HE explained with a smile.

"Oh, thank you Dispatcher!" Sigrid was thrilled at the honour.

So from then on, Sigrid became known as the Big Harbour's only official 'honorary tugboat' and her friends are proud of her. She is also very proud of her title, but she doesn't boast about it to the other tugs.


End file.
